‘Southie’ slain in Paul’s Avenue alley

As the rain poured down in Kingstown on a warm Saturday night, so did the bullets.

When the showers ceased and the gun smoke cleared, 44-year-old Ian Brian Guy, also known as Brian Chandler or ‘Southie’, lay dead from multiple gun shots.{{more}}

Guy died only metres from his home in Paul’s Avenue, in an alley between the George McIntosh Market and the P.H Veira lumber warehouse.

According to a family member, Guy was on his way home from the city after running some errands. Although he owns a vehicle, he had decided to walk because he had not planned to stay out long.

The family member, who did not wish to be identified, was not too far from the scene at the time of the shooting.

“I was in the shop with his grandmother when the rain came down and I heard three to four loud bangs. I thought the noise was coming from the (Victoria) Park because they were having thing round there.”



“After the rain, people started running to the alley saying somebody get shot, then a little while later someone came back and told us it was Southie.”

The Trinidad-born Guy, who would have celebrated his 45th birthday this coming Sunday, was the father of one daughter and was employed as a carpenter with the Kingstown Town Board.

One co-worker described Guy as being very professional when it came to his work, but could be very moody at times.

“I never had any problems with him,” The supervisor explained, “But he would sometimes get very irritated with others for whatever reason and explode, but once he got his point across he would cool down and things would be back to normal.”

The family member attested to those statements, and revealed that Guy had a temper, and had done some jail time in Grenada and also here in St. Vincent. However he was very respectful to family members.

The relative also added that it was strange that Guy would have been walking in the heavy downpour, unless he was trying to get home or away from someone in a hurry.

Guy was a close friend of George ‘Bow’ Smith, a 30-year-old youth who was gunned down in Paul’s Avenue on May 13, 2007.

The relative made an appeal for the shootings and killings in the area to stop or “A lot of mothers will be crying.”